Project #15

What is it with that picture of the woman with her legs hoisted up on her dresser, sexily staring into the mirror while putting on lipstick, and the man slyly sitting back on that chair, gazing longingly? Or how about the scene of the couple wrapped up in each other’s arms and passionately kissing on a crowded street? Sure, great photos, but it seems like everyone has them hanging on their walls (especially in dorm rooms).

It’s time to take down the mass-produced posters. And yes, that includes your Matisse and Picasso poster prints.

Seek out original art, and buy it. There is original art available at whatever price level you can afford. Or, go buy some paint, brushes and some stretched canvas, and make your own paintings. Have a party and invite your guests to create a collaborative painting on a really big canvas. Frame some of your many photographs, or go out and take new photos with the intention of framing them. Build an installation in the corner of your living room. Make a sculpture out of broken coffee cups, empty wine bottles, or the scrap wood piled up behind the garage.

Put the art all over the house, of course, but designate one room, or one corner of a room, as the gallery. You don’t have to put up little cards with the name of the piece and the artist’s name, but you can definitely throw an opening party.